Tony Bellew on why he’d NEVER fight Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder

Former world cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew has admitted a shot at the top division crown was never on the cards during his brief stint campaigning in the 200 pounds plus ranks.

Moving up to face David Haye twice proved to be a masterstroke for ‘The Bomber’ as Bellew pulled off a pair of stoppage victories to considerably improve his legacy and bank balance.

Once Haye was out of the way, though. Bellew says a shot at title holders Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder was a step too far due to the sheer size difference between him and both men.

“In all honesty, absolutely not…no,” Bellew told Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan on their Sky One episode of ‘Rob & Romesh versus Anthony Joshua’, in regards to a battle with his fellow Brit.

“Not just for the fact that we’re are friends, but have you seen the f***ing size of him?

“If he stands next to me and put his arms around me it’s like man and child. I don’t need that in my life.”

WILDER

Asked whether Deontay Wilder would have been a possibility, Bellew said at one point yes, but not after they finally met face-to-face.

“I was pretty adamant I was going to fight Deontay Wilder. I was ready to do the fight,” he explained.

“We were on a Sky broadcast, and when filming stopped, I went over to him. When Deontay’s Wilder gripped mine, it like covered my whole hand.

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“At that point, I thought; ‘what the f*** is going on here?’ – Then he pulled me in, and he hugged me. When he hugged me, his arms went right around my whole body. He could literally scratch the side of his own face.

“At that point, something went off in my mind and I just went ‘no way’. I just remember thinking to myself, I will never get in the ring with this ‘human cricket’.

“His arms covered my body and he’s got serious power.”

Asked for his opinion on a massive undisputed unification between Joshua and Wilder, Bellew concluded: “I hope Anthony wins, but it a 50-50. It’s genuinely whoever lands first.”